Fattoria La Tagliata | Farm to Table Dining in Positano
Perched on the hills in Positano, Fattoria La Tagliata is one of the best farm to table dining experiences on the Amalfi Coast. The natural setting is spectacular, with panoramic views of the coastline and Tyrrhenian Sea —and beautifully terraced gardens, which span over three levels. It’s a little piece of paradise suspended between the sea and sky, where the owners, the Barba family —offer plenty of dining areas inside and out.
Either before or after the meal, the terraced gardens are a must-explore for one to experience the abounding beauty of the family farm —and to discover the uniqueness of the agricultural landscape of the Amalfi Coast. The views on each level are awe-inspiring, with long stretches of organic vegetables, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards. Plus, impressively well-kept farm animals lounging blissfully in their stellar green environment, with the pretty blue of the sea as their backdrop.
Upon arriving at Fattoria La Tagliata, customers are on the upper level of the establishment. Here they can opt to take the elevator down to the restaurant or to take a short stroll down the scenic pathway —which is a beautiful experience in itself.
Stepping into this charming place immediately offers a rustic, down-to-earth feel—from the wood beamed ceilings and furniture colorfully decorated in orange and yellow, to the old wine barrels, woven chestnut baskets and red chili peppers hanging from the exposed beams, to the festive ceramic tableware locally-made by hand in Positano. It’s got a cheerful, easy and breezy ambiance that’s hard to resist —any time of day or at night when dimly lit under the glow of the romantic moon.
Here’s the owner/chefs of the restaurant, husband-and-wife-team, Luigi and Dora, who may surprise you with their real, hearty, glad-to-see-you greeting, that always makes you feel like you’re in their home.
Fattoria La Tagliata offers exclusively price-fixed menus, which change with the season and feature the typical specialties of the area; simply prepared with the best-quality ingredients organically grown or raised on their farm— or purchased from their neighbourhood farming community. In other words, they offer exclusively a multi-course farm to table dining experience, authentic Positano-style.
There are three options. The first option is £35 per person and includes a savory mix of appetizers; primarily vegetable and bean dishes, some cured meats and cheeses, and other wholesome farm fresh specialties of the area, a mix of homemade pasta dishes and desserts—plus water, house wine and a shot of their delicious homemade limoncello (lemon liquor). The second option is £40 and is the same, but substituting the homemade pasta dishes for a mix of grilled free-range meats and side dishes. The third is £45 and includes all of the 4-courses.
Here’s chef Vincenzo (Luigi and Dora’s son), and his son, Luigi, whom, along with all their other restaurant/farm work else, run the dining room impeccably, and with kind, friendly service
In addition to the simple refreshing salad with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, marinated eggplant slices and cubed zucchini, and rucola —and the fresh mozzarella and prosciutto salad above, here’s a look at a few of the delicious antipasti (appetizers) that circled our table at a recent lunch.
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Sautéed spinach, sweet peas with spring onions and pancetta, and a couple of wedges of polpettone (meatloaf), which was scrumptiously-made.
Sautéed fegato (liver) with spring onions and tomatoes, a specialty of the house at Fattoria La Tagliata
Eggplant parmigiana, rollè di parmigiana (fried eggplant parmigiana balls), pizza rustica (rustic cake) filled with broccoli, mozzarella and ricotta, and cotoletta di maiale della fattoria (crispy strips of breaded pork)
Sautéed chick peas and barlotti beans with spring onions, lard, and pancetta (Italian bacon) with a wedge of gattò di patate (potato cake) and fried tube pasta with broccoli rabe and mozzarella cheese
The homemade pastas are wholesome and delicious, and feature farm-fresh sauces/dressings made with the perfectly-ripened, flavorsome vegetables that are gathered from their garden each morning. Here’s a look at a few recent highlights—ravioli stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella in tomato sauce or the classic Neapolitan Genovese sauce (meat and onion sauce), cortecce pasta with zucchini and rucola, gnocchi (little potato dumplings) with cherry tomatoes, orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta) with broccoli rabe, and manicaretti stuffed with ricotta, provola and aromatic herbs.
Fattoria La Tagliata’s second course is all about the grill. They offer a delectable selection of fine-quality, free-range meats to choose from. And, for vegetarians, the grill master, Claudio, grills up a locally-made cheese filled with green olives, called diavoletti, over radicchio leaves —and serves them, hot and oozy, right off the grill, with a mix of grilled vegetables and crusty slices of rustic bread.
The sweet endings to the meal are always a highlight, especially for my son; the fresh fruit pies, rustic cakes filled with ricotta and pastry cream, chocolate and almond cakes from the island of Capri, and all else typical from the area. But the “icing on the cake” for him, and us too, includes a final good-bye-for-now to the farm animals; the donkeys, cows, and pigs —and glimpse of this little piece of paradise suspended between the sea and sky on the Amalfi Coast.
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An Unforgettable Experience
Fattoria La Tagliata
Address – Via Tagliata 32b – 84017 Positano (SA)
Telephone – +39 089 875 872
Open daily for lunch and dinner, from 12 to 3 pm and 6 to 11 pm